Best Cleaning Tips for Your Fridge Before Moving

August 6th 2017 by: Jim

When you move, the fridge usually stays behind. Odds are your new house has a beautiful new refrigerator waiting for you, so there’s no need to move this mammoth appliance.

That being said, you’ll want to deep clean your old fridge so it’s ready for the new homebuyers. This is especially critical if you’re moving out of a rental and hope to get your full deposit back. We suggest following these tips for cleaning your fridge before moving.

Fridge Cleaning Supplies

Old towel

Cooler

Multi-purpose surface cleaner

Rags

Bucket of warm, soapy water

Butter knife

Vacuum with a handheld brush attachment

Cleaning Your Fridge Before Moving

To deep clean like you never have before, follow these steps.

Prepare to clean: Find the temperature knob in the fridge and turn it all the way off. This way, the cold air doesn’t come on, but light bulb still illuminates the fridge interior. Then, place an old towel on the floor to soak up spills while you clean.

Remove food: Decide what’s worth trying to save and what you can easily replace after you move. Give away or dispose of any perishable food that doesn’t fit in a cooler.

Take out shelves and drawers: Place drawers in the kitchen sink and fill them with soap and hot water. Place shelves in the bathtub (if they’re too large for the sink) and spray them with multi-purpose surface cleaner.

Wipe the fridge interior: Dip a rag in a bucket of warm, soapy water and wipe down all permanent refrigerator surfaces. Make sure you get into all the cracks and crevices. If needed, wrap a butter knife in the rag to help with this. Once clean, dry all surfaces with a fresh cloth.

Clean the door gasket: Dip a rag in soapy water and clean the rubber door gaskets of all gunk and grime. Dry the seals thoroughly to prevent mildew.

Wash and dry shelves and drawers: After spending all this time soaking, wiping down the shelves and drawers should be easy. Rinse them with clean water, dry with a fresh cloth, and return them to their designated places in the fridge.

Vacuum the coils: Pull the fridge away from the wall and vacuum the refrigerant coils located on the back of the appliance. Sometimes, the coils are positioned under the fridge, so you’ll need to remove the kickplate to access them.

Defrost the freezer: If the attached freezer has ice buildup, leave the door ajar for six to eight hours so the ice can melt completely. If possible, do this the overnight leading up to moving day, and wipe out the inside of the freezer the next morning.

Help Moving Day Go Smoothly with Georgetown Moving and Storage Company

The refrigerator is just one of many areas you’ll need to clean before you move out of your house or apartment. Why not hire an extra pair of hands to help with packing boxes or loading the truck while you focus on cleaning? With professional movers from Georgetown Moving and Storage Company, moving day goes much smoother. You also save yourself the exhaustion of trying to do everything yourself.

Whether you’re relocating long distance or moving locally within the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC area, we’re here to help! Let our licensed and insured movers tackle time-consuming packing and heavy lifting tasks so you can focus on leaving the house spotless when you lock the door behind you for the last time.

To learn more about our moving and packing services, or for a free estimate, call Georgetown Moving and Storage Company at (703) 466-0575!

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